I really, really like my job - but the one major downside is that a not-insignificant number of my colleagues are incompetent. How to not let these people get to me? [more inside]
posted by schroedingersgirl
on Feb 2, 2016 -
35 answers

I work in a small office environment: there's me, two other people who do the same job that I do, my boss, and his administrative person. I genuinely like everyone that I work with, which is wonderful. However, I'm encountering a problem with my boss's administrative person, who I'll call Cathy. Cathy has an irritating habit of cornering me and my co-workers into long "conversations" that eat up a lot of my workday, and I don't know what to do about it. [more inside]
posted by sevensnowflakes
on Feb 21, 2014 -
25 answers

My office was submitting a grant and the wrong application was uploaded to the grant agency website. My coworker submitted the final documents - and it is clear to me already that he will find a way to throw me under the bus if he has to, to protect his interests. How do I approach this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on May 16, 2013 -
12 answers

A coworker told me that our boss is sleeping with another coworker, his subordinate, our peer. This is the latest development in a dysfunctional workplace. I would like to quit on ethical grounds without implicating the friend that told me. Help, please. [more inside]
posted by sabatourist
on Apr 30, 2013 -
42 answers

How should I handle this tricky situation at work? My boss has taken me under her wing to guide me on the path of success. I feel she did this because I was open to her assistance. We have now developed a friendly "quid pro quo" type of agreement. She assists me by sharing her expertise on certain work-related items and vice-versa. I will in turn share with my colleagues when I feel capable of doing so. Some of my closest colleagues are feeling insecure about my friendly and close relationship with our boss. It seems like they feel threatened by it...like they think I am privy to all this "important information" that I won't share with them. [more inside]
posted by thatgirl1985
on Mar 19, 2012 -
15 answers

My boss recently hired a former coworker for an open position in the department. This person will be working on many of the same tasks and projects as I am. He was both well-liked and skilled at the job when he left years ago, and I am afraid that he's going to come back and completely outshine me. How can I handle this situation professionally? [more inside]
posted by fanta_orange
on Mar 22, 2011 -
11 answers

If I am trapped in a meeting or group with a co-worker who likes to hear himself talk (I mean really pontificate)...how do I go zen on it all? How do I adjust my own frustration? He sometimes has an entourage/fan club which isn't my business but I get really frustrated when stuck with him. He also tends to show up in the same small group parties I have attended. Deep breathing doesn't seem to be helping. I'm thinking about a flask of whiskey.
posted by snap_dragon
on Nov 11, 2010 -
20 answers

I have a coworker with intermittent odor issues (cigarette smoke and stinky food) and am hoping for some new suggestions in dealing with them. Non-confrontational, passive methods preferred. [more inside]
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy
on Dec 11, 2007 -
36 answers

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